Direct top strata-of-liquid heater



April 12, 1938, T F. DH1-MAR 2,113,577

DIRECT TOP STRATATOFLIQUID HEATR Filed July 2o, 193e 58 Theo. 1T. Dimczr:

Patented Apr. 12, 1938 UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to liquid heaters, and specically, to a new type` of heater which may be; described brieiiy as an instantaneous vaporizer, on a direct top strata-of-Iiquid heater, this `5 latter being given as the title to distinguish it from previously known heaters where the highest temperature of the heat-applying means is directed to the lower strata of liquid and where the Whole volume of liquid must be heated before a I steam or vapor attains a useful pressure on top of the liquid.

The main object or purpose of this invention is to direct the heat from the furnace or other heat-applying means immediately to the top l strata of water or other liquid, so the heating and vaporizing or steam generating begins at the top, and such vapor or steam generating begins instantaneously or immediately upon heat arising from a fire or electric heater in the. heating chamber.

Another object is to provide draft-producing means in open communication with a chamber under the imperforate bottom of the heating chamber, and to surround these chambers with 2'5 an outer liquid-containing chamber into which the heat is conducted. through a heat-conducting wall which is heat-insulated` around its. lower part so that the upper part only is initially heated so` as to initially heat the upper strata of liquid,v also to provide. down-coming pipes in open communication with the heating chamber and with the chamber having the draft-producing meansv therein, so that the high-heated air or products of combustion pass direct from the heating chamber into the down-coming pipes which have. their main parts in the liquid, and so the highest temperature in the down-coming pipes is at the tops.

of the latter and thereby supplements the highheat that is conducted directly through the wall,

the draft-producing means thusv cooperating with the down-coming pipes by drawing the high.- heated air or fluid downward through these pipes. Another object is to further supplement the heat-conducting means.. above described. by provision of a heat-conducting liquid-circulating coil in the heating chamber, over the heat-apply.-

ing means, and in open communicationy with theV liquid-*containing chamber at relatively low and high points, so that the liquid is. immediately i heated by conduction through this coil, and so the highly heated liquid in the coil rises. andV is. discharged into the liquid-containing chamber or outer container.

Another objectV is to provide, in a liquid heater or boiler, a liquid container that4 tapers from its bottom to its top, so there is a gradual and considerable reduction of liquid per unit-depth from bottom to top, and so the heat, applied at the top will more quickly generate steam or vapor than if more liquid were at the top; and further, 5, to provide numerous and closely grouped downcoming lire-tubes or hot-fluid-conduits in the liquid container so as tol displace a very consideV erable part of the liquid and present large heatconducting surfaces against the liquid and there- 10i by substantially immediately starting the top strata of liquid to vaporize while the lower strata of liquid is yet cold or relatively cool.

Another object is to connect the down-coming tubes with an` air-cooling or fluid-cooling` chamber 15 (under the heat-applying meansA and non-com'- municating therewith except as Athrough the down-coming tubes), this chamber being in. open communication with the lower ends. ofv theV downcoming tubes, also in open communication with the draftstack, andi surrounded by the lower endA of the liquid container,` the latter having at its bottom an inlet for the relatively 4cold or cool liquid from a water-supply or other liquid-supply source; this correlation of features establishf ingl and maintaining a heat-exchange which tends to cool the exhaust air or product of combustion before itA enters. the stack, and to pre-warm the water so. as to effect maximum eiciency, while the draft-stack draws the heated air' or combustion product from the heat-applying: means down through the down-coming hre-tubes` and into. the heat-exchange. receptacle or chamber. Another object of the invention is toy provideV under and away from the. re-tubes, or heat-con- 3.5., ducting and water-heating tubes,` a wide and deep base-chamber which serves as an ample sump for accumulation of mud or other sediment thatv may settle inthe water beingv heated, so the heat-conducting tubes are unencuinbered by said 40 sediment; and so the sediment can be cleaned out through the waterA inlet (at the bottom) when the inlet-pipe has. been disconnected soy as to gain access through said water inlet.

Another object is to. provide this type of water 45 heater or boilerl with water-heating tubes that are substantially vertical from end to end, so that there. is substantially no horizontal or level part, within the water-chamber or liquid container to accumulate sediment, except the level: bottom' 'of 50 the base-chamber; so the maximum heating efficiency remains substantially unchanged. Another object is to provide the heating chamber with an unfastened and easily removable cover that, is normally held in place by gravity and by 55.

`v port I2. The upper and lower ends of the liquidsuction of the draft-stack, and which, when removed, permits of easy access to the interior of the heating chamber, and therethrough to the fire-tubes, so access to the interior of the latter can be had for cleaning out carbon or other accumulations.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in the following details of description, in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in central vertical section, some (but not all) of the invisible parts being shown in dotted lines; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the down-coming tubes being omitted, but their respective positions (at the sectional plane) being indicated by broken line circles.

Referring to the drawing in detail, in which, similar reference numerals refer to similar parts in the several views, the invention is described in detail as follows:

At 5, I show an inner upwardly tapered or converging wall or duplex receptacle, the same being inthe form of a hollow truncated cone and provided with an imperforate partition 6 which divides it into an upper receptacle or container 'I and a lower receptacle or container 8. The upper container is provided with a. door-way 9 which is normally closed by a door or doors (not shown) which may be hinged or otherwise secured in place by means not shown. This doorway also extends through an outer wall Ill which is' spaced from the Wall 8 to provide a water-chamber or liquidcontainer in which the liquid is indicated at Il, the top thereof being indicated by a broken line at IIa, and the space above the liquid being for steam or vapor which arises from the liquid and passes out through a port I2 which may be connected to a tubular connection (not shown) that may comprise a part of either a means for utilizing steam or hot vapor or hot water; and of course, when utilizing hot water, the water-level is raised so as to permit it to flow through the chamber are closed by plates I3 and I4, respectively; and the plate I4 also constitutes a iioor or bottom of the lower container 8. This lower container has a draft-opening I5 in open communication with an elbow of a draft-stack or draft-producing means I6 that may extend up to any desired height so as to draw the warm air or combustion product from the container 8 which may also be termed a heat-exchange chamber, for a reason that is hereinafter shown.

The inner container 1 and lower container 8 have openings in which are tted the upper and lower ends, respectively of numerous down-coming fire-tubes or water-heating pipes I1 and Ila the distinction between these pipes being in their location, viz., the pipes Il being higher than the pipes Ila, so these pipes can be closely grouped without too closely grouping the holes through which their ends are fitted and secured. By thus closely grouping the down-coming tubes in the liquid Il, a large part of the liquid is displaced by the heat-conducting tubes, so the maximum efciency is obtained in heating the water (or other liquid) in the minimum of time.

As one heat applying means, I show a coal-grate at I8, in the heating chamber or containeril; but it is to be understood that the heating is not confined to coal or to any kind of fuel, for an electric heater (not shown) may replace the heating means here disclosed; but when fuel is used, its grate or other support is spaced above the imperforate bottom 6 to provide a proper draught through the doorway 9; and when an electric heater is used, it heats air that is drawn down through the tubes I1 and Ila and imparts heat to the liquid through conduction of these tubes. A refractory lining I9 is provided to insulate the heating chamber from the intermediate part of the liquid-chamber, so only the upper part of the latter exposes heat-conducting material to the heat that arises from the heat-applying means, and so the upper strata of water is initially and very quickly heated while the lower strata remains relatively cool, especially so because the inlet-port 29 supplies cold or cool liquid that passes around the heat-exchanging chamber 8; and, as the most of the heat is absorbed by the upper strata of liquid, a comparatively low temperature of the lower parts of the down-coming tubes imparts but little heat or warmth to the lower strata of the liquid; butrthe residue of heat from the bottoms of the down-coming tubes, entering the chamber 8, is conducted through the wall 5 into the relatively cold water or liquid, and thereby pre-warms the liquid, thus effecting maximum efciency.

To provide a supplemental means for conducting heat from the heat-applying means to the liquids upper strata, a pipe-coil 2| has its lower end over the heat-applying means and in open communication with the liquid container, as indicated at 22, while its upper end 23 is in open communication with the same liquid container at a higher level, so a circulation of the liquid through this coil is set up in consequence of the heat surrounding this coil, as in other liquid circulating devices, and the highly heated liquid from this coil is discharged at the top of the liquid, either as steam, vapor, gas or super-hot fluid.

Openings 24 are provided in the outer wall, opposite to the ends of the coil 2 I, and these openings are normally closed by plugs 25, only one 0i'k which is here shown. These openings permit the user to have access to the ends of the coil for any necessary purpose.

A cover 25 is seated on the primarily open upper end of the heating chamber, and is removable for permitting the user to have access to the interior of the heating chamber for any necessary purpose. f

It is not my intention to limit my patent protection to the specic details of construction and arrangement or combination here shown and described, for the invention is susceptible of numerous changes within the scope of the inventive ideas disclosed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1.-In a liquid heater, the combination of an inner container that comprises a heating chamber having heat-applying means therein and having an imperforate lbottom or floor under and spaced from the heat-applying means, a second inner container under said heating chamber, means to draw exhaust fluid from said second container, an outer container having an upright Wall surrounding said heating chamber and said second inner container and spaced therefrom to provide an outer chamber or liquid-chamber, and heatconducting tubes having their main portions in said liquid-chamber so as to be surrounded by liquid in the latter while their upper ends are in open communication with the heating chamber at points above said heat-applying means and while their lower ends are in open communication with said second inner container at points below said imperforate iloor, whereby, as the draft-creating means draws fluid from said second or lower container, heated fluid from said heating chamber is drawn down through the liquid by means of said heat-conducting tubes and draft-creating means and thus imparts the heat of greatest intensity to the liquid in the upper part of said outer chamber and thereby heats the upper strata of liquid before heating the lower strata.

2. In a liquid heater, the combination of an inner container having heat-applying means therein and an imperforate iloor under the heatapplying means, a second inner andlower container under said imperforate floor and provided with draft-creating means to draw exhaust fluid from said lower container, an outer container having an upwardly converging wall surrounding both the rst and second said containers and spaced therefrom to provide an outer chamber for containing liquid and gradually diminishing the quantity of liquid per unit-depth from the bottom to the top of this outer chamber, and heat-conducting tubes having their main portions in said outer chamber so as to reduce the space for liquid therein while their upper ends are in open communication with the chamber that contains said heat-applying means and while their lower ends are in open communication with said lower container, for the purposes specified.

3. The combination dened by claim 2 the first said inner container having a heat-conducting wall that is tapered from its bottom to its top so as to compensate for contraction of the heated uid as it rises from said heat-applying means and imparts its heat to the liquid through said heat-conducting wall.

4. The combination defined by claim l, and a liquid-conducting coil which is also heat-conducting and disposed in the heating chamber above said heat-applying means and having one end in open communication with the liquidchamber at a point near said heat-applying means and having its other end in open communication with said liquid-chamber at a point considerably above the first said end, whereby, liquid is heated and passes into the upper part of the liquid-chamber from said coil, for purposes specied.

5. The combination defined by claim 2, and a liquid-conducting` coil which is also a heat-conducting coil and disposed in the heating chamber above said heat-applying means and having one end in open communication with said liquidchamber at a point near said heating means and having its other end in open communication with said liquid-chamber at a point considerably above the first said end, whereby, liquid is heated and passes into the upper part of the liquid-chamber from said coil, for the purposes specified.

6. The combination defined by claim l", said outer container being provided with liquid-supplying means to conduct liquid into its lower end where it surrounds said second or lower container, whereby, the influx of liquid tends to cool the fluid before it is drawn from this lower chamber, and whereby, the residue of heat from the fluidconducting tubes pre-warms the inowing liquid.

'7. In a liquid heater, the combination of an inner container that comprises a heating chamber having a heat-applying means therein and having an imperforate bottom or floor under and spaced from the heat applying means, a second inner container under said heating chamber, means to draw exhaust fluid from said second container, an outer container having an upright wall surrounding said heating chamber and said second inner container and spaced therefrom to provide an outer chamber or liquid-chamber, and heatconducting tubes having their main portions in said liquid chamber so as to be surrounded by liquid in the latter while their upper ends are in open communication with said second inner container at points below said imperforate floor, whereby, as the draft-creating means draws uid from said second or lower container, heated fluid from said heating chamber is drawn through the liquid by means of said heat-conducting tubes and draft-creating means and thus imparts the heat of greatest intensity to the liquid in the upper part of said outer chamber and thereby heats the upper strata of liquid before heating the lower strata, said outer container being provided with liquid-supplying means to conduct liquid into the lower end where it surrounds( 

